ETYMOLOGY

The term's DNA contains three cultural strands:

1. Historical ContextSince Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), fair skin has been status symbol - 72% of classical poetry praising women mention skin whiteness. This differs from Western 'tan' culture.

2. Economic DriversPost-2008 economic boom created 4.3M Chinese millionaires. In 2015, Alibaba's 'Double 11' shopping festival saw 68% luxury purchases by self-claimed 'baifumei'.

3. Cyber SociologyDouyin filters like『冷白皮』(cold white skin) get 890M daily uses. However, 2021 survey shows 41% young women reject the label as『patriarchal cage』.

Modern twist: On Bilibili, parody videos『When a baifumei orders bubble tea』mock conspicuous consumption through exaggerated mannerisms.